"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Dedication

After being home 6 months ... going through three surgeries ... we finally had Isabella's dedication this past Sunday. Our entire immediate family came, which was awesome! She really soaked up all of the attention and enjoyed the day. She wore a Chinese dress that we bought while in China. She looked adorable!

We are truly blessed to live in a country where we can worship God freely. I really did not get the full impact of that until we traveled to China. One Sunday night while we were there we gathered with a few other families and praised God in a hotel room. It was an experience we will never forget.

We are thankful that Bella will be able to freely choose to follow the Lord. As parents, we will guide her and help her along her journey.

And here are some pics from the dedication. As you can see, she really hammed it up for the entire church.

The Fam

Welcome

Welcome to our blog. We are the Garland family. Michael, Heather, Aidan (12), Keenan (9), Isabella (8) and Eli (3). We brought Isabella home in August of 2009, and Eli home in February 2013. We hope you enjoy our journey as a family of 6!

Aidan

Keenan

Bella

Eli

Our four blessings

Timeline

February 15: Apply to CCAI;
February 16: Apply to FAC (homestudy agency);
May 24: Received Final Homestudy;
May 25: Sent I800A application to USCIS;
July 11: USCIS Approval;
July 20: DTC;
July 24: LID;
August 9: LOI submitted to China, Eli's file locked!!;
August 17: Pre-approval from China;
September 19: Out of Translation;
November 1: LOA;
November 21: USCIS Provisional 800 Approval;
December 18: Article 5 issued;
January 9: Travel Approval!;
January 21: Eli in our arms forever!!